Murder Charge in Mauled-Runner Death

California man charged in death of runner fatally attacked by dogs.

Los Angeles County police have arrested a man on a felony murder charge for the death earlier this month of Pamela Devitt, who was fatally mauled by dogs while running.

As the Associated Press reports, Alex Jackson of Palmdale, California was arrested soon after the attack, then released on bail while tests were conducted to determine if his dogs were the ones that killed Devitt.

In today's arrest, Jackson was also charged with owner negligence and growing marijuana. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said that there had been three earlier complaints filed about Jackson's dogs this year, the Associated Press reported.

Devitt was set upon by four dogs on the morning of May 9. A witness in a car honked the car's horn to try to scare the dogs off, and called 911. The police officer who responded was attacked by the one dog still on the scene when he arrived; the officer shot at the dog and it ran off.

Jackson had eight dogs, six pit bulls and two mixed-breeds, the Associated Press reported. Devitt's husband, Ben, told a local police station, "I do not blame the dogs. I don't blame pit bulls. I blame people who don't take responsibility for their animals."